Editorial: Promising new chief for the FBI

After considering some wildly inappropriate choices for FBI director, President Trump on Wednesday settled on Christopher Wray, a former federal prosecutor and current defense lawyer.

Given that Trump had threatened to be the first president to nominate a politician to the post, this latest move should prompt considerable sighs of relief.

After last month’s abrupt firing of FBI chief James Comey, who at the time of his ouster was investigating Russia’s ties to the Trump campaign, a political appointment would have further intensified questions about whether the president was trying to obstruct a criminal inquiry.

Wray, 50, a former head of the criminal division at the Justice Department and member of the task force that prosecuted fraudulent accounting at Enron, has the type of background that equips him to become an FBI director.

Without question he is a superior pick to the many pols who had been under consideration at one time or another. These included Rep. Trey Gowdy, R-S.C., a partisan whose highly politicized inquiry into the Benghazi tragedy was a national embarrassment. Those under consideration also included more respected figures such as former representative Mike Rogers, R-Mich., and former senator Joe Lieberman, I-Conn.

A career law enforcement official raises fewer questions while being better equipped to face the complex array of threats present in the world today, including terrorism and cyberattacks.

At first blush, Wray would appear to fit the bill. He has never run for office and has had an impressive career that checks all of the appropriate boxes.

One area, however, needs to be thoroughly explored during his confirmation hearings for the 10-year term: Wray’s law firm clients, especially New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie in the so-called Bridgegate scandal.

As Christie was an early backer of Trump, once Christie’s own presidential bid foundered, the Wray appointment poses the question of whether Trump sees him as a potential ally. More important, it sparks the question of how Wray sees Trump.

Given Comey’s testimony that Trump sought “loyalty,” it’s vital that Wray view his new clients as the Constitution and the American people — not the president who chose him.